


Engagement Beads

by Emimar



Series: Tolkien Twitter RP Shorts [6]
Category: Lord of the Rings - Fandom, The Hobbit
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-08
Updated: 2015-09-11
Packaged: 2018-04-13 14:59:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4526490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emimar/pseuds/Emimar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Another little story from my rp. The accounts are: @Lyndheid and @eredluinarcher</p><p>It has been put together from a series of solos and interactions. Some of the interactions are missing because I don't want to presume to put something on here which I didn't write.</p><p>Essentially, Kili finally makes the engagement beads for Lyndheid, but they encounter a problem.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

[Kili]

He wakes up early, quietly slipping out of bed so as to not wake up his slumbering lady. She must NOT know what he is up to this day, not that it is anything devious or bad, but because it's a surprise for her, something which she has been long awaiting and something which he feels bad about procrastinating over for so long. He by passes the fine clothes that his housekeeper as set out for him and dons some old traveling clothes. He secures with his hair with leather twine to keep it away from his face, and with proverbial butterflies playing havoc with his stomach, he heads down to the jewellery forges, hoping that this day, after weeks of practicing his skills that he would finally get them right....

Sweat starts to bead on his forehead as he gets near to the forges, which even at this early hour was bustling with activity as dwarrows and dwarrowdams worked on their craft. Any sense of tiredness that he'd had upon waking soon melted away as he collected his tools and the materials that he would be using to create the beads. He prepares a fine alloy of silver, and pours them into the molds which have taken him weeks to make. The first bead created he melts down again, not happy with it at all, and tries the process again. It's very frustrating for him because he sees a flaw in every bead he creates. None are to his satisfaction. He decides to take a break from the frustrating work and goes to his study for refreshments brought to him by Beyla and plays once of his favourite melodies on his new fiddle, to put him into a calmer mood, and hopefully one which will help him to regain his concentration and start working on those beads. After playing his fiddle for an hour or so, filling the halls with his music, and after his lunch, he goes back into the forges and sets to work again. This time, he reaches near perfection. He's not completely happy with the beads, but he can't see how he can improve on them, not without procrastinating for longer. When they have cooled, he puts them into a small trinket box he made just for the occasion and, feeling exhausted mentally, he goes in search of his mother, to show her his accomplishment.


	2. Chapter 2

Lyndheid

She quietly gathers her books, and those gifts that Kili gave her. She does this task quite sneakily because she doesn't want anyone to know her plans. Erebor, she's decided, is not the place for her. Too much violence from elves and now this? It's not the kind of place she wants her dwarfling to be brought up in. The Old Forest beckons....

She goes down to the goat pens and war pig sties and speaks with one of the wranglers about obtaining a pair of goats suitable for pulling a traveling caravan. She's opted not to ride because she's afraid of falling off a riding beast and losing her baby. The wrangler regards her oddly, wanting to know what she wants the goats for. And she has to endure a lecture on dwarrowdams staying in the mountain. Ignoring the snorting and grunting of war pigs, she makes her way out of the area, but on the way, she notices a pair of cart-pulling goats and watches which shed they are put into. An idea forms in her mind, but she will have to return later, when it is dark.

After visiting the goat sheds, she talks to a hobbit who was selling his rickety old caravan, which she purchases from him. He helps her to bring it back to her garden and if anyone asks, it's just going to be used as a place to store gardening equipment.

She fetches the otter cubs, not trusting anyone with their care but herself and puts them into the caravan in a secure cage. She hates the use of a cage, but it is necessary for a journey, and she fetches Laddie and Mist... Is she over-reacting? She just wants out of this place...

Next, she fetches her books and those gifts that Kili gave her. With a heavy heart, she leaves the paintings behind, for they are just too big and there is no room for them. As she gathers blankets and a few small cooking utensils, she wonders if she should inform him of her plans, but decides against it. What if he doesn't understand why she wants to go? Or worse, makes her stay in Erebor?

Finally, she loads her sword and axe, even though she wasn't proficient in the axe's use. Perhaps she can use it to intimidate any brigands that she encounters on the road looking for trouble. She loads the caravan up with supplies, not knowing where she will come across food again. All was set....

She now just needs to write a note for Kili and leave it in his study where he will find it in the morning and wait for darkness to get the goats. She finishes writing her letter to Kili and leaves it in his study for him to find in the morning. To her relief, he's not there and she leaves the letter where he can find it. She leaves as quickly as she can, because if she stayed even for a moment longer than she intended, she wouldn't go. 

Under the cover of darkness, she goes to the goat pens and using some carrots, she coaxes the goats out of the pen, collects the harnesses she needs and walks them to the place where she has stowed the caravan. She harnesses the goats up to the caravan, which does take her some time to do in the darkness, but once she has got them ready, she sets off, reluctantly leaving Kili and the mountain behind.

Once she has gotten to the bottom of the mountain, and traveled to what had been the Desolation, she commands the goats to stop and she sets them loose from the caravan for the night. Tiredness over came her swiftly and she settles down in the bed inside the caravan, with the collies around her, but it is a lonely night indeed without her One.

[DAY 1]

Waking up, with her collies snoozing beside her in the caravan, she gets up, goes outside, starts a fire and makes herself an early morning cup of tea. The morning air has a slight chill to it and the hem of the skirt of her dress becomes dampened with dew. She still wasn't certain if leaving Erebor was the right course of action, but what else was she supposed to do when it wasn't safe? And she was as angry as hell at the dwarves who harmed poor Smauglet. She didn't want her child in an environment like that.

She looks around for the goats and they are grazing nearby. The morning is misty and she can hear something creeping about as she drinks her tea. She puts down her earthenware mug and goes back into the caravan to retrieve her sword, though what she was going to do if she encountered an enemy in her condition she had no idea. A lupine shape emerges out of the mist, and she relaxes when she realises that it is just Khajima and she lays her sword on the ground as the warg approaches. The goats shift nervously in the warg's presence. She strokes the warg's neck and smiles.

"You are welcome, my friend. I could do with company such as yours on this trip."

After finishing her morning tea, she feeds the dogs and otter cubs, sees to the goats,checking their feet before starting off for the day.  
After a day of traveling, stopping only to feed and water the animals, she stops the caravan near the edge of Mirkwood forest. She knows that she won't be able to take a cumbersome contraption through there, but it is a good a place as any to stop. Her heart sinks because she is missing her One terribly and is starting to regret ever going on this trip. She opens the wooden box Kili carved for her and studies its contents, those items of jewellery that he had lovingly crafted for her and she sighs. Laddie and Mist curl up on the bed at the bottom of it and she runs a hand through Laddie's fur.

"Goodnight, my lad." She pat's Mist's head and bids her good night. It is only tiredness brought on by the heat of the day and her condition that allows her to sleep, for her mind was too active going over choices that she was regretting.

[DAY 2]

She wakes up to the sound of rain pattering on the roof of the caravan, looks out the window and sees a world of dampness. Shivering, she huddles in her woolen blanket...

"I ain't going out there today..." She pats Laddie on the head, and sighs.

Makes herself some warm soup to chase away the dampness of the weather. "Lord Ulmo, and his element.."

She lets Laddie and Mist out for a night run, pulling the blanket around her to keep off the rain. She checks on the goats and her lips turn upwards in a small smile when she hears Khajima howling in the darkness.

She calls the dogs back to her, frowning a little at their soggy state, but there's not a lot she can do about it. The inside of the caravan will be damp and cold tonight... She hopes that in the morning this rain will have ceased, and she can continue on her journey.

She settles herself down for the night, amongst damp blankets and soggy dogs, and tries to get some sleep, but she is uncomfortable, and feels the loneliness which she hasn't felt since that time as a spirit. She regrets not speaking to him of her concerns now...

[DAY 3]

Noticing that it is a warm day outside, she hands out the damp blankets and clothing which got soaked yesterday, before making a morning meal for herself and her animals. The poor goats were out in the rain all day and night and look scraggly. She feels sorry for them. It is her fault they are out here, after all, and not in a nice dry stall. She makes a note to make it up to the animals once they reach the nearest town.

It's a hot, dusty day on the road and when the day moves on to the afternoon, the heat and motion of the caravan start to conspire together and causes the dwarrowdam to fall asleep.

[DAY 4]

She travels southwards in her caravan, ignoring the road to Dale and Lake Town. She wants to avoid a settlement so close to Erebor and uses the treeline to the right of her as a guide. If she stopped at Dale or Lake Town, they would probably hold her there until someone came to collect her. In the shadow of the treeline, she knows that Khajima is traveling parallel to her and that is some comfort, especially in her state. She only wished that she was proficient with a bow, but she'd not had time to train in that. But still, she wasn't entirely helpless and any trouble makers she came across on the road would be sorry that they had the misfortune to encounter her.

Laddie walks up behind her and pushes his head under her arm and she smiles, reminded of that time when she took out a warg with knitting needles and a sturdy branch. She makes good progress and is well past Dale and Lake Town when she stops the caravan that evening.

It is a warm evening and she makes up a small fire to cook a stew of turnips, carrots and potatoes. She was saving the meat for the dogs, as she didn't know when she would encounter civilization again after leaving Dale and Lake Town behind her and she was in no state to hunt. Had she been, she wouldn't be needing the caravan to travel in. She releases the goats to graze on the grass and scans the sky, looking for any sign of ravens, especially Kari, sent to look for her, but she doesn't see any. Had Kili even found that note yet? She missed him, but the further she got away from the mountain and the little evidence she had of anyone searching for her, the more she began to doubt everything. Perhaps no one had even noticed she had gone...

Sighing, she eats her turnip stew when it is ready...


	3. Chapter 3

Kili

He sits in Lynd's garden, wanting to be somewhere close to her, even though she had appeared to have gone. He wanted to give her those hair beads he had made, but if the lass wasn't around, how could he? It was raining and he didn't much care that he was getting soaked, when he heard a shout from the doorway. He glances over and sees Beyla there with a folded piece of parchment in her hands. He walks over to her, frowning. 

"What is this?" He waits for her reply.

"I was tidying up your study and I found this note. I think that bird of yours must have knocked it off the desk because it was tucked down the back of it... You should read it." The dwarrowdam passes it to him and looks at him with concern in her eyes. He glances at her, and before taking it, pushes a wet lock of hair out of his face and tucks it behind his ear. before taking the parchment from her. Ignoring the rain, he unfolds it and sees that it is from Lynd. He turns to the housekeeper with a quizzical look on his face.

"Did you read this?" he inquired, wishing to know how much she knew. The dwarrowdam sighs. "I thought that it was one of ye compositions, my lord, not correspondence from your lady." He crumples in his hand. 

"Can you leave me? I want to be alone..." 

The dwarrowdam nods, "As you wish, but I am sorry." She scoots off, leaving him amongst the flowers and the summer rain.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a little bit missing which leads up to this, which I need to track down. Will do so when I get the chance. That's the problem with twitter. Things get lost and broken up too easily. So, for now, I'm just posting what I can easily find and get hold of.

[Lyndheid]

In the night, she awoke to the growling of dogs, and taking up her sword, she placed a hand on Laddie's head, alerted. There was a loud thumping on the caravan door and she knew that from the dogs' reactions that her nocturnal visitors were far from friendly. She scrambled to the door and waited, holding out the blade before her. The brigand was surprised to see her when he opened the door, expecting to encounter a cowering hobbit and not a sword wielding dwarf. However, it only took a moment for the brigand to see her condition and he demanded gold from her. She snorted, knowing that he would be disappointed because she carried no gold. She held back, a bit reluctant to engage in a fight because of what she was carrying. At her feet, the collies, their hackles raised, growled and snapped their jaws, which caused the brigands to back off enough for her to scramble out of the door. Once outside, any fight she had in her vanished because she was surrounded by them. Knowing that there was no escape this time, she gave herself up because to do otherwise would risk her losing the baby. She refused to tell them who she was, as she was uncertain if that would ensure her release, or increase their determination to keep hold of her.

The leader of the brigands orders her to be taken a short distance from the caravan. A group of them had already rounded up the goats and were arguing over what to do with them. A trio of them wanted to slaughter the goats and cook them, while the objectors wanted to keep the beasts for milk and cheese. She felt guilty for putting them in that situation. If she had stayed in Erebor.... But how could she have? She did not want to be around dwarves who would treat a baby dragon so cruelly.

They searched the caravan, hoping to find gold, or gems, because dwarves are supposed to possess such riches, aren't they? She tenses, hoping that they won't find anything. She had hidden Kili's gifts to her in a secret compartment that the hobbit she had bought the caravan from had used to stash his valuables in case something like this had happened to him - he'd shown her how to access it before she purchased the vehicle from him. Frustrated, the brigands failed to find anything they considered of value and a rather unpleasant character walked up to her and demanded her to tell her where the gold was. She frowned at him, an imitation of the expression that her king used when intimidating people.

"There is no gold, no mithril, no silver, no gems." She snorted at him. "I am just a simple explorer and do not care for nor carry such things."

The brigand leader had over heard her words and swaggered over. "Tell me, what would a pregnant dwarven wench be doing on the road alone?"

"That is none of your Morgoth be-damned business," she hisses and refuses to speak further on the matter. The brigand leader moves away from her, promising that she had better tell them where the gold was or else there will be trouble and that he will be back. She watches, helplessly while the brigands round up the dogs and tie them up a short distance away from her. She over hears one of them remark in passing how much they might get for the dogs if they sold them to a circus. She grits her teeth in anger.

They bring out the otters in their box and she breathes a sigh of relief when they just dump the box on the ground beside her and not kill them out right, and she wondered why that was. The leader of the brigands saw her reaction and a crooked smile crossed his face. 

"We will find the gold." He turns to his minions. "Keep searching for it. It must be here somewhere...." He turns his attention back to her. You could make it easier for us by telling us where the gold is." 

"I told you, there is no gold. I don't carry it. I am traveling home to see my kin in the Blue Mountains." It was an out right lie, but if it got them off her back, it would have done its purpose. They searched the caravan, tossing out all the traveling gear - blankets, cooking utensils. The found her axe and one of the brigands swiped it. They found her food supplies and took that, sharing it out amongst the company. But never did they find Kili's gifts or her books. 

Beyond the treeline of Mirkwood, an howl echoed and the dwarrowdam smiled. She had quite forgotten about the warg. The howling caused the brigands to stop in their tracks and a visible chill passed over the brigand leader. "Wolves... there are wolves in the wood." He glanced at the dwarrowdam and to his surprise, he saw that she wasn't worried at all. The howling continued, and after fifteen minutes Khajima burst out of the treeline and charged into the brigands' mist. Snarling, he pinned one of them and a moment later, the brigand was no more. They were slow to react at first, and the brigands acted as if a large pack were descending upon them.... But they soon saw that there was but one warg, and they were able to drive him off, wounding him with swords and daggers, and one brigand, armed with a bow, shot at him and hit his target as the warg retreated. The warg let out a loud yelp, which caused the dwarrowdam to wince in sympathy for her friend. The warg had not left without leaving his mark on the brigand company and a number of them lay dead. The story would have had a different ending had the dwarrowdam been in a condition to fight.

After Khajima had been driven off, she spent a miserable night trying to sleep on the ground guarded by the brigands. She feared for the warg's fate and in the morning she woke to the song of a thrush singing in a bush nearby. The bird, when it had she was awake, hopped off the branch and flew over to her, landing on her knee. She looked at the bird, quite puzzled by its behaviour. 

Looking around, she saw that the brigands were busy looting the looting the belongings of hers that they could find, and weren't paying attention to her at all. She spoke to the thrush. "If ye are hungry, I have nothing to give ye."  
It tilted its head to one side and pecked at her hair. It seemed to be telling her something, but she knew not what. A pair of brigands walked over to her and the thrush flew off northwards, startled by them. 

"Get up! We need to move on, wench!" 

She muttered something in Khuzdul under her breath and wondered why they just wouldn't let her go. They had no reason to keep her, now that they had practically cleaned her out of everything. One of the brigands took charge of the dogs and forced them to walk along, kicking Laddie when he proved awkward to move. She bristled with anger inside. She would have taught that knobhead a lesson had she not been encumbered by a baby. Two others took charge of the goats and forced them to move. She didn't know whether to be pleased or not that her animals were offering resistance to the brigands because they weren't exactly gentle with them. She was forced to carry the box containing the baby otters because no one else would bring them. The caravan was left behind. They made modest progress as they traveled, but as time wore on it was clear to her that the baby otters were becoming sick and she wasn't feeling herself, either, but she didn't ask to rest, because she didn't want her captors to know that she was ill and she refused to show weakness in front of them. 

The brigands weren't that observant, for she noticed the thrush flitting from tree branch to tree branch as the day wore on and she began to wonder what the bird was up to. She tried not to draw attention to the bird, in case one of the brigands decided to shoot it with an arrow. The bird was subtle in its movements, and she probably wouldn't have noticed the creature herself if she had not been an observer of creatures. She began to suspect that it was a friend of Beorn's or Radagast's, and she relaxed a little, with the idea that the Istari or the Beorning was quite close, but as the day wore on, she did start to wonder why neither showed themselves. Perhaps it was Beorn after all and he was waiting for the bear to emerge before making himself known. She had seen him in his bear form, and she knew that just one glimpse of him would cause the brigands to scatter. She had become weary a long while back, her feet aching, and she began to develop an awful headache, and nausea. She was glad when they stopped for the evening, exhausted. She lay down on the ground and went to sleep almost immediately, sleeping through the night's thunderstorm and oblivious to the fact that she got soaked through in her sleep. She was disappointed to find upon awakening that she was still in the company of the brigands and no bear had come in the night. The thrush was digging about in the soft earth looking for its breakfast of beetles and worms. Why was it following her? And, what was it up to, if it wasn't a friend of Beorn?


	5. Chapter 5

Kili 

The forges were bustling with activity when he went down there to search for Bild and Andvari. Sweat beaded off his forehead and trickled down his back as walked past the fires. He found the dwarrowdam and her apprentice at their usual station. Bild was busy smelting ingots of bronze which she wanted to turn into armour, while Andvari watched the process. The dwarrowdam became aware of his presence and looked up from what she was doing. 

"You shall have to wait a moment, my lord. I'm at a critical moment in the process."

"That's alright, my lady."

Andvari greeted the prince with a distracted polite greeting, his focus firmly on the task at hand. Kili was anxious to get on with searching for signs of Lynd. He knew that he would have to wait until she had finished, which seemed to drag on for a painfully long stretch of time, and found it hard not to fidget while he waited. Finally she finished and he was then at a crossroads over what he should tell her. He wanted to inform her of Lynd's flit, but he didn't want to worry her and he also didn't want to waste time on an explanation. He was also frustrated at having to wait to tell them why he had interrupted their work, and his next words sounded more short-fused than he intended them to be, and he used his status as a prince to make his argument. He looked from the dwarrowdam and the apprentice smith and back again.

"I need to borrow Andvari for a task. I don't want to make it an order but I will if I need to. I don't have the time to explain why - my mother will be able to explain what has happened, but we really do need to go now."

Bild frowned at him, clearly irritated at the interruption of her work, and by the wording of his demand. She wanted to tell him that he couldn't just barge in, and make demands, but then she recalled who he was, so she tempered her response, but she bristled inside.

"What is it? Is it orcs, my lord?" she asked, recalling the attack by orcs on the mountain a while back, in which she had helped fight off.

Andvari remained silent throughout the exchange.

"I don't really have the time to give explanations, as I have already stated," Kili said, finding it difficult keeping the irritation out of his voice, but adding in a softer tone. "I am sorry, my lady, but we must go now."

Andvari attempted to calm the situation. "It does seem like this matter is urgent. The forge can wait."

Bild sighed and closed her eyes in an attempt to get rid of her anger. "Of course, my lord. I will speak to your mother."  
Kili nodded, and gave her a small smile.

"You should take Lofnheid with you when you go. She needs to be informed what's happened to."

The dwarrowdam blacksmith frowned. "Lofnheid? Why would I need to take her with me?"

"Andvari and I really must be getting along. You'll see when you speak to my mother."

As they leave, Andvari turns to address him. "What is the problem, my lord? Your request sounds urgent."

"It's Lady Lyndheid. I didn't want to delay, by having her aunt ask me a barrage of questions. I know that she will be worried about the lass. To put things briefly, she's left Erebor. I will meet you down at the goat pens, and stables. I need to go speak with my mother. I'll answer your questions on the road."

Andvari nods and when they are out of the forges, Kili goes to off to speak to his mother. The first port of call for Andvari is to go home and gather the items he would need on the journey. He is part disappointed and relieved to find that Lofnheid and Nali are not home - the dwarrowdam, fed up of being alone working on her tapestries and jewellery and caring for her child most days alone, had taken to walks around the public areas of Erebor which were safe for a young child to go to, and to carry out some of her work while she chatted with other mothers and crafters, with her sheepdog Freki trotting faithfully at her heels. He writes his wife a note, informing her to visit Lady Dis, and telling her that he will be away for a while. After that, he fetches his war-axe out of the cupboard where it is kept locked up when not in use, and fills up a back-pack with cram biscuits, dried meats and a couple of jars of honey. He hesitates before leaving, to pack a wooden raven toy he had made for Nali, and a silver knotwork brooch he had made for his wife as a courting gift before they were married. His heart ached at leaving them, but it would hurt more to see the sadness of his wife if anything happened to her sister. He put them safely inside a pocket on the inside of his coat, close to his heart, and he left, after making sure that the note to his wife was the first thing she would see when she returned home, using a knotwork box to prevent it from blowing onto the floor. He then went down to the stables and bumped into his brother when he got there. Loni was carrying his pack, and his heavy war-hammer, and once he saw his brother, he made his way over to him.

"Brother!" Loni calls out. "Did Prince Kili send you here?"

"Aye, and he will be along shortly, after seeing his mother," Andvari replied, his face grim. "You know that Lady Lyndheid has left Erebor?"

Loni nods, solemnly. "My captain informed me. The prince came into the guard room and asked for me to meet him here, after briefly explaining the problem. I'm going to talk to the stable-hands, to see if they know anything of her. She might have taken a ride out."

"Go ahead. I will arrange mounts for us, and keep an eye out for the prince while we wait for him."

Loni nods, and pats his brother on the shoulder, before walking up to one of the stable-hands who was busy shoveling a pile of goat dung into a wheel-barrow to be taken down to the fields to be used as fertilizers on the potato crops, an activity which many dwarves thought strange, despite the fact that it keep the mountain fed. 

"May I have a moment of your time, lad?" Loni asks the dwarrow. The dwarrow stops what he is doing and puts the shovel to one side. The dwarrow's initial instinct was to snap at the dwarf before him, until he noticed that he sported the insignia of the palace guard, and assumed that he was on official business. 

"For thee, ah do have t' time," he replied. "How can ah be o' help?"

Loni made a brief description of Lyndheid, making an emphasis of the dwarrowdam's pregnancy, which was unmissable, and her lack of a beard. The stable-hand nods. 

"Aye, 'ave spoken t' t' lass. She wer 'ere a couple o' days ago, askin' about cart goats. Ah could see her condition quite clear, like, an' refused t' help her. Ah knew she would 'ave family worried about her, an' it wouldn't do if ah allowed a lady t' leave in that condition. But she wer determined - she spoke t' a hobbit trader who wer selling his caravan, an' t' next mornin' two er t' cart goats wer gone. Ah recken she took 'em."  
Loni listens to his story with much interest and nods. "The hobbit? Where is he now? I would like to talk to him, if I may. It could give us some ideas on where she's gone." 

"Him? He left fo' Dale yeserday mornin'. 'Spect he's there, naw."

"Thank you. You've been of great help to us, and you did the right thing, refusing her."

The stable-hand takes up his shovel again. "Ah hope yer find her. She seemed quite bothered about sommat..."

Loni left the stable-hand and related to his brother what he had told him. Andvari curses in Khuzdul. It was shortly after that Kili arrived with his mother, and Loni told the prince what the stable-hand had told him. Andvari and Loni wait while Kili and his mother say their goodbyes to each other.

After saying his farewell to his mother, Kili leads the pony away and climbs into the saddle when they are out of the yard. He calls to his companions who were slightly ahead of him on the trail. "We shall start our search in Lynd's garden," he smiles, grimly. "I have an idea which might help us find her."

"As you say, my lord," Loni replied.

Kili frowned, a little fed up of being addressed so by these dwarrows. They weren't of the line of Durin, but they were family, or would be soon, as they are the only males in Lynd's family, even if it was through marriage and not by blood. "You don't have to address me like that. I would prefer it if you used my name, instead," he drew along side the brothers as he spoke.

Loni nods in acknowledgement. 

"Should we, my lor.... I mean, Kili. Should we search for the hobbit in Dale?" Andvari asked, the apprentice black smith clearly uncomfortable at addressing Kili by his name.

Kili shakes his head. "We will lose time, and we've lost enough of that already. You'll see what my plan is, when we get to the garden." 

It didn't take them long to reach the garden and Kili dismounted. "She may have kept the caravan here for a time before she left. Could you two look for signs of it? I was here, earlier, but I wasn't looking for trail signs, just her."

Loni slid down off his mount and nodded. "I am used to such things, being in the guard, and Andvari and I hunted in Ered Luin quite often. It shouldn't be too difficult." 

"Thank you," Kili replied.

He was glad of their assistance in finding her. They were competent, and that calmed down the anxiety which raged inside him at the thought that he may have lost her. He took hold of the bag of seeds and berries and walked over to a prominent boulder which was too big to be used in the drystone wall he and Lynd had built, and which was used as a place to sit. He opened the bag and scattered the food on the boulder, before sitting down quietly near a rose bush. Then he waited...

Loni found what they were looking for - deep tracks left by the wheels of a caravan in the mud, and the hoof-prints of a pair of goats, as well as boot prints the size which a woman of Lynd's height would make, and the paw prints of at least two dogs.

"I've found signs of her passage," the guard informed him.

Kili nodded, and motioned for the guard to sit down, and when Andvari joined them to do the same, and to be still and quiet...

After about ten minutes of waiting, a bird fluttered down and started pecking at the seeds and Kili creeped forward, slowly, so as not to alarm the creature. He spoke quietly to the thrush.

"There is more of that," he indicated the seeds and berries. "If you and your kin could do a job for me."

The thrush ignored him for a while, too busy with the seeds and berries, but when it had eaten all that it could find, to Kili's amazement, it hopped towards him and perched on his knee. It was very difficult for him to contain his excitement when the bird did that, because he wasn't expecting it from a wild creature.

"Good. I have your attention. I am looking for a dwarf lady, dark haired and with child, egg, chick, whatever terms you use. She is traveling with two goats and dogs, with a caravan for transport. I would be grateful if you and your kin can help me search for her. You are welcome to nest in this garden come spring, and there will always be food for you, if you help me."

The thrush regarded him with small black eyes and flew off.

"Do you think that will work?" Andvari asked, having stayed silent throughout the exchange.

Kili shrugged his shoulders. "We shall have to see. Ravens are more reliable than thrushes, but Lynd knows about them. If she is determined to leave Erebor, she'll be taking steps to avoid them finding her. This way, I have little spies she won't suspect, and she is a friend to wild creatures. They will remember that, and help me find her."

Andvari nods, not quite convinced. Kili turned to Loni. "This trail you found, can you show me?"

The guard nods and gets to his feet, beckoning him to follow. The trail was quite obvious, once you bothered to look closely enough, but the rain had obscured some of it. It was mainly made of indentations in the soil and rock dust, and bent over grass. Kili motioned for Andvari to collect the ponies and they followed the trail on foot, with Loni leading because was a more experienced tracker.

They would travel so until the thrushes returned from their search, if they had heeded his appeal for help.

Loni stopped his pony after a while, allowing Kili and Andvari to draw up along side him. 

"Have you seen something?" Kili asked the guard.

"It looks like she stopped here," the guard replied, pointing at a spot where the earth was blackened, as though a fire had been made.  
Kili slid down off his pony and walked forward to investigate the area. He found spore from the dogs, and discovered where the goats had trampled the vegetation, signs of their feeding and droppings. There was a pile of vegetable peelings by the fireplace, which indicated the meal the lass had taken while she stopped there, and discarded tea leaves from a hot drink she'd had. 

"Aye... she was here, alright..." Kili murmured to himself. In some ways, it made him feel closer to the lass, knowing that she had rested on the same ground, but her absence from the place made her seem so far away from him, and the camp was as empty as his bed with her disappearance.

"We shall rest, and eat, take water, and then move on," Kili said to the guard and apprentice blacksmith. And, he thought, it might give the thrush opportunity to find them. They ate cram, washing down the dry biscuits with tea which was brought to the boil on a small fire. 

His mind wondered to Lyndheid, wondering what she was doing right at this moment, and whether she was thinking of him. The thrush didn't show by the end of the meal, and although Kili wanted to wait for the bird's appearance, Andvari insisted that they move on, using the argument that the longer they waited, the further away from them Lyndheid was going to get. Kili conceded to the older dwarrow's judgement and they carried on, Loni leading, with Kili and Andvari riding side by side behind him. They traveled until the sun was low in the western sky and the light had started to fade from the land. There had been no sign from the thrush at all, and Kili was beginning to think that the bird hadn't understood his request, or that it had only wanted a free meal. 

Looking at the fading light, Loni brought his pony to a halt and turned to call back to Kili. "We won't have the light needed to follow her trail soon, my lord. I recommend that we camp here for the night."

Kili nodded, said clearly. "Of course."

With a heavy heart, Kili dismounted and they made up camp, making a fire so that a meal could be cooked. Andvari went looking for firewood and Loni laid out their bed rolls while Kili saw to the ponies. Once that was done, and the fire lighted, he took out his flute and played a melancholy tune on it, more to express his own loneliness than for entertainment needed for the camp. If Lynd was nearby, perhaps she would hear his playing and come out, but that was a faint hope. 

They ate a thin soup, made of vegetables, wheat and dried meat - travel supplies from the kitchen that his mother had given him. After the meal, he bade his companions to sleep while he kept watch for a time. He told Loni that he would wake him up when he felt sleepy, but sleep was elusive and he was awake most of the night, worrying about the fate of his One and their unborn child.

He woke up to the smell of food cooking, a sloppy, thick lumpy mess of porridge and honey. Not his preferred fare, but it would have to do. Andvari was sat at the fire, stirring the mixture with a wooden spoon. Getting up, he yawns and stretches, in an attempt to ease out his aching muscles and walks over to the fire. Loni was missing.

"Where's Loni?" he asked, sitting down on the ground opposite the blacksmith. He noticed that the guard's pony was missing also.  
"He went ahead to scout the trail while you slept. He didn't seem the need to waste time."

Kili nodded and drank some tea to help wake him up as his mind was still foggy from the delayed sleep he'd had. He was getting exhausted with the constant worrying. He didn't think that he would be able to stop that until she was with him again. He spooned a large dollop of porridge into a wooden bowl and mixed more honey in with it. He probably used a bit too much, considering the amount of supplies that they had, but he wanted to make the porridge palatable. As he ate, he glanced around the camp to see if there were any thrushes in the area, but was disappointed when there was no sign of them, not even of their song. He was just finishing up when Loni arrived back at the camp, and after eating his portion of the meal, he made his report.

"The trail goes off in the direction of Mirkwood," he points to the distant line of sinister trees (to dwarven eyes...) towards the west. "I followed it until I reached the tree line. My lord, that is a spooky place if ever there was one. I felt like the trees were watching me. But she has some sense at least - she turned the wagon southwards and is traveling along the edge of the forest. My guess is she's using it to find her way. But there is cause for concern."

Kili glanced at the guard, frowning. "Concern? What is the problem?"

"I found warg tracks... from one beast by the looks of it, and it appears to be trailing her. I think we'd best press on, sire. I don't think that in her condition, the lass would be able to fight this creature off."

Kili frowned. "Where there any other signs? Orcs, perhaps?" He wished he had Roac with them, because he could have sent the raven ahead and they would know for certain if the lass was being stalked, or if it was just Khajima. He wondered if they knew about the warg? But there was no time to explain now. They needed to find out exactly what was going on. 

Loni shakes his head. "I think this creature was wild. I didn't see anything to indicate that there was an orc with it. But I don't like it all the same. Forgive me sire, but she is weak and vulnerable. I don't like it."

Andvari, listening to his brother's words nodded. Stalked by a warg!

What would he say to his wife when he got back home to tell her that her sister was in the belly of a warg? He gets up and kicks dirt over the fire to snuff it out. They broke camp quickly, probably faster than at any time on the quest to Erebor, and they were soon on the trail again. Kili felt sick to his stomach.

They had been traveling parallel to the treeline of Mirkwood when they became aware of something in the woods traveling with them. Loni was the first to notice it - an occasional crashing through the undergrowth and a panting sound could be heard. There was something in there. It sounded quite large, whatever the creature was, but it didn't seem to want to show itself. They traveled on throughout the morning and stopped for a midday meal of cram and tea. Kili had seen game birds on the trail and it had been tempting to bring one down for dinner, but cooking a bird would just take too long. Once he had Lynd safely at his side, they could dally all they wanted to, just so long as it didn't put her and the baby in danger, but delays weren't a good idea right now. He scanned the skies for signs of thrushes, but the bird, if it had understood his request, hadn't seemed willing to do it because there was no evidence of the birds at all. Now, he was beginning to accept that they were going to get no help at all from them. It was a source of frustration that his idea had not seemed to have worked. They were wild, and worked on their own terms. After the meager lunch, they moved on, going past the next spot where Lyndheid had stopped for the night. There was still a lot of daylight left, so Kili decided to press on, covering as much ground as possible, bringing himself ever closer to her. The mysterious creature Loni had detected was still trailing them, and though he had been tense at first, Kili began to relax, though a small part at the back of his mind still worried that an attack was going to come. It was an extremely hot afternoon and they stopped several times when they came across small streams to allow the ponies to drink. At one point, they even poured water over the ponies so that they could cool down. The air started to become heavy and muggy, and by tea time dark clouds had begun to build up in the sky. It appeared that a thunderstorm was on its way. At one point on the trail, Loni noticed that the cart tracks had begun to move erratically and Kili hoped that at some point that afternoon, they would catch up with her, but there was a fear in his heart that it indicated that something had befallen her. That was not the case, however, because eventually the trail straightened out and they found where she had set up her next camp, which she appeared to have stayed for a day it. Kili worked out that it must have been a couple of days ago, when he was searching in the garden for her in the rain and Beyla had given him the note. They stopped there and constructed a temporary shelter to keep off the rain which threatened them this evening. Loni and Andvari left him to fetch wood and branches which would be suitable, while he saw to the ponies. As he was seeing to his own mount, he heard a rustle in the bushes behind him and he figured that it must be the creature that had been stalking them. He took out his bow and turned to face the beast. Out of the bushes emerged a lupine-shape and the ponies snorted in fright, the most skittish of them rearing up and neighing loudly. The sound of the frightened pony caused Loni and Andvari to come running back to camp, with their weapons raised, ready to attack the warg.

Kili relaxed, and lowered his bow when he recognised the creature and shouted to Loni and Andvari to stop their charge. Loni, more used to following orders, stopped his charge immediately, but kept his warhammer raised, a look of confusion on his face.

"Andvari, stop!" Kili yelled. Andvari, hearing his name called out, stopped just as he was about to take a swing at the warg's head. Khajima cringed, tucking his tail between his legs, and growling fearfully.

"We should put an end to that beast, sire. Listen to it growling," Loni said, still confused about Kili's order.

"Aye, an end I would be happy to oblige," Andvari said.

Kili moves to stand in front of the beast. "There is no need. The creature belongs to Lyndheid."

Andvari frowned at the prince and said in disbeleif, "If you say so..."

"That creature belongs to the lass?" Loni shook his head. 

"Put away your weapons," Kili snapped, rather hurriedly, and harsher than he intended. "Aye, Khajima belongs to her." He reached out and ran his hand through the warg's fur. "Perhaps she will relate the story to you, once we find her, but at least I know she's not being hunted."

Loni and Andvari stared at the warg in disbelief. "This is probably rude of me, but my wife's sister is a very strange lass, making a pet of that creature. She's either incredibly brave, or foolish."

Kili shakes his head. "I think both equally apply, but don't let her know I said that." Khajima wagged his tail and licks the dwarf prince's face. Kili grinned and pushed the warg's muzzle away so that he could breathe. He noticed wounds on warg's flank, including an injury from an arrow. Kili sighed. "It looks like you've been in the wars. Did you have some trouble with an elven hunting party? No matter. Loni, can you fetch me the healing pack?"

Loni nodded and obeyed, while Andvari stood watching, marveling at the ridiculousness of it. He saw to the wounds as best he could, but he was no healer. He just hoped that he'd done enough to prevent the warg from succumbing to illness. The arrow was of odd make. He had seen the ones used by the elves of Mirkwood, but it bared no resemblance to one, and it was not of dwarvish make. There was a third party in the area and he had no idea if they were friend or a foe. The fact that they had attacked the warg was no indication at all as to their allegiances - anyone not knowing that the warg belonged to his lady would have attacked it because wargs are usually associated with the enemy. It did concern him, not knowing because he had no idea if Lyndheid was safe, or not. He would not have entirely trusted the elves with her safety, either.

But they now had another asset in the search for her and the warg would lead them to her. They finished building the temporary shelter and had just finished cooking their evening meal and boiling up some tea when the storm broke. The ponies were unsettled by the noise of the thunder, and the flashes of lightening. He felt vulnerable caught out in it, with no stone over his head to protect him from the storm.

A fire started somewhere in the forest where lightening struck a grove of trees, and one flash hit the ground dangerously close to where they were camping, and the ponies bolted. Luckily, all the supplies had been unpacked, but they would have a job come morning looking for the beasts. He hoped that it was not going to be a repeat of the situation they'd had in the Trollshaws...

Kili spent a weary night under the temporary shelter, as rain lashed down on it. Khajima lay outside, getting soaked and when morning came, Kili, exhausted by having no sleep, told Loni and Andvari to go search for the ponies while he took Khajima to look for Lyndheid. 

The rain had gone by the time he set out, and he followed the warg. At noon, his heart skipped a beat when he saw a caravan up ahead he'd not seen it before, but he had seen their like when he had traveled through the Shire with Fili. There was a settlement which just consisted of them. Unable to contain himself any longer, he shouted, "Lyndheid!" expecting an answer but was very disappointed when he didn't get one. He broke into a run, hoping that she was just sleeping, and expecting to hear the delighted bark of a collie, but nothing.... When he got closer, he could see that there had been trouble here. There were objects strewn around the place and he found her dagger. The door to the caravan was open and he entered, looking at the wreckage inside. It would take some while to put straight, but that wasn't his concern. The caravan could be wrecked and unrepairable for all he cared - he just wanted to find Lyndheid and her animals.

Sighing, he exited the caravan and sat in the doorway, tears filling up in the corner of his eyes. Khajima whined, and pawed at him, but he ignored the warg, and sat there until he heard hoofbeats in the distance. He dried his eyes and hoped that signs he had been balling like a dwarfling would have gone by the time the guard and the blacksmith arrived. When he thought that he was presentable, he stepped down off the caravan's platform and walked out of it's shadow so that they could see him. He waved, and shouted, beckoning them. Loni was galloping ahead, with Andvari a little behind him, leading Kili's mount. 

When they arrived, and halted before him, Kili told them what he had discovered. 

"It looks like it was abandoned a couple of days ago. I found her dagger. There are no signs of bodies, so she must still be alive, at least, and her animals..." he added, as an after thought. "There appears to be a sizable group of them..."

Loni, who had dismounted from his pony and had looked around the camp, nods his agreement. "Aye, there is a large group of them, alright, but look at the tracks. They have no horses. It shouldn't take us too long to catch up with them."

It was as they were discussing the matter when a thrush flew up to Kili and landed on his head, pecking at his hair with his beak. 

"Ah, so you decided to come back, did you?" 

The thrush hopped off his head and flew to a bush a short distance away, and stopped to look back at them.   
Andvari frowned at the bird. "It appears that it wants us to follow it."

Kili nods. "Aye." If the bird had been one of Roac's ravens, it would have been able to speak to him, but he could only make an educated guess at what the bird wanted, and really, what other choice did they have now but to just trust it? He crosses the ground to his pony and mounts, gesturing for Loni and Andvari do the same. 

"We don't want to alert them to our presence, so we'll only use Iglishmêk to communicate."

Loni nodded his agreement. "I was thinking the same thing." He mounted his pony.

"What should we do about that?" Andvari asked, pointing to the caravan.

"We can retrieve it on the way back," Kili replied, and urged his mount after the thrush. Khajima, his nose to the ground, loped off ahead of them, taking on the stealthy demeanor of a hunting warg. The ponies, traveling much faster than man could do on foot, ensured that they reached the brigand's abandoned camp from the night before, at about mid-afternoon.

"They cannot be much further ahead of us now," Kili said. They stopped to rest and eat, even though there was the temptation to just continue on. They needed their strength for what was to come.

They traveled until twilight and they could see the light from a camp fire at the top of the hill. That must be them. He motions in Iglishmêk for Loni and Andvari to dismount, and to move forward. They do so and they creep, as silently as they can up the hill. He looks the location of the guards, and find Lynd. They may even have to wait until the guards are asleep before making their move. Sounds of brigands' drunken arguing could be heard and Kili smirked.

"This should be easy, if they are distracted," he motioned to Loni in Iglishmêk, then adding. "You two stay here. I'm going to take a closer look."

Loni placed a hand on his shoulder, reluctant to let the prince go any further on his own, and motioned. "Are you sure?"

Kili nodded, and walking as low as he could, he creeped forward. He spotted a sentry outlined against the light of the fire, staring off into the darkness. Kili did a circle of the camp, finding it's boundaries and discovering the place where Lynd was kept. There was a moment when he thought that the game was up when one of the collies barked and he froze, keeping still. It was followed by a yelp, and Kili gritted his teeth in anger. He wanted to go in then, but logic told him to hold back. Patience... He needed patience. Wait until the brigands had exhausted themselves and the sentries where bored from staring off into the darkness. He made his way back to Loni and Andvari, and outlined his plan.

They waited. When the noise from the drunken brigands had died down, Kili motioned to Loni and Andvari in Iglishmêk that it was time to make their move. Moving through the darkness, Kili positioned himself so that he was nearest in the camp where Lyndheid was being held. He took out the sentry, swiftly and silently with Lynd's dagger. He ensured that the sentry was dead and couldn't call out a warning moving on wards to Lynd's sleeping form. When he got there, he shook her shoulder gently to wake her.


	6. Chapter 6

Lyndheid  
Exhausted and hungry from all the walking she had been forced to do for the last couple of days, in combination with the tole that her advancing pregnancy had been taking on her body, she sleeps on, unaware that Kili is there.

Kili  
He bites his lip, somewhat frustrated that he hadn't been able to wake her. He anxiously glances around, to see if any of the brigands had seen him, and to try and determine what Loni and Andvari were up to. Should he risk speaking her name? If it was the only way to rouse her. He bend down, his lips close to her ear, and spoke clearly. "Lynd!"

Lyndheid  
She wakes up with a start, and because her mind was heavy with sleep and being in the company of hostiles, it doesn't register that it is her One at her side. Reacting defensively, she swiftly punches him in the mouth.

Kili  
He stifles a cry of pain, and rubs his mouth where she hit him. 

"It's alright, Lynd. It's me."

He tried to smile warmly, which was a difficult thing to do with his mouth throbbing. She packs quite a wallop.

Lyndheid  
It is then that she realises her mistake, and she whispers his name.

"Kili!" She throws her arms around his neck and kisses him on the mouth, ignoring the fact that she had just punched him. Tears filled her eyes and she blinked them away.

Kili  
As much as he wanted to respond in kind to her kiss, it wasn't the right time. He squeezed her arm gently.  
"Later, Lynd, for now I am busy. Stay down." 

He got to his feet and no sooner had he done so when there was a shout and a human charging, sword raised, in his direction. He barely had chance to dodge the brigand's sword swing and it was only the steady and true aim of Loni with his warhammer that prevents tragedy. Smiling grimly as he stood over the body of the brigand which had just been about to take the dwarf prince's head off, he comments. 

"You shouldn't allow yourself to get distracted in battle, my lord."

Kili inclines his head in a silent think-you to the guard, unsheathes his sword and looks around for opponents.

Lyndheid  
She crouches, and makes her way over to the collies, and stays with them as she watches the fight around her. There wasn't a lot she could do in her condition to defend herself now, which is why she hadn't put up a fight before.

Kili  
Kili glanced around and noticed that Andvari was engaged in battle with a pair of brigands, fighting them off with his battle-axe. He appeared to be holding his own quite well and he left him to it. The brigands, though they out-numbered Kili and his small band, were clearly the inferior fighters. One of the brigands charged at him with a sword of dwarven-make, but was clumsy with the weapon, and the dwarf-prince was able to take him out easily. He took a moment to retrieve the sword, seeing that it was the weapon belonging to his lady. After that, he didn't have a moment to rest as another brigand came at him, whom took advantage of his momentary distraction and wounded him in the arm. Gritting his teeth, the dwarf prince retaliated, running his opponent through with Lyndheid's sword. Gritting his teeth, he tried to ignore the pain from his wound and fought on as Fili would, with two blades. He was not as proficient as his brother at the best of times fighting with two blades, which is why his preference was for his bow and the wound was affecting how he fought. Loni held his own well - as a guard he trained on a daily basis and defeating the brigands was easy for him. An howl sounded in the darkness and Khajima enters the fray. Between them, the dwarf prince, the guard, the black smith and the warg make short work of the brigands. It was almost a anticlimax to all the worry Kili had gone through, but in the end, he was just relieved that it was over and his One was safe.

Lyndheid  
She disentangles herself from the wriggling collies once the battle is over and rushes up to him. Now that the brigands had been dealt with, she could greet him properly.

Kili  
Breathing heavily from his recent exertion, he puts away his sword, and gallantly hands her weapon back to her.

"This, I believe, is yours, my lady."

Lyndheid  
She takes her sword from him and props it up against a tree stump. She flings her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"Forget about the sword! I am just glad that you are here." She kisses him lightly on the mouth, aware of her audience. When she pulls away she notices him bleeding.

" You're wounded..."

Kili  
He brushes her hair to one side so that he could get a better look at her face.

"It can be looked at later. We need to get away from this place." He looked around at the carnage, and placed a hand on her stomach.  
"Are you alright? Is the baby fine?"

Lyndheid  
"I think I will be. I don't like this place. There should be an axe here somewhere. I'm glad to go once we retrieved that."

The collies followed her and Laddie nudged her hand with his head and leaned into her side. Mist wagged her tail at Kili.

Kili  
He turned to Loni and Andvari.

"One of them should have an axe which we need to find. Then, we should get out of this place. Leave them for the crows." 

He stroked Mist's head and picked up her sword, and presented his free arm to her.

"Come, let's walk to the ponies. We need to have a talk, but I don't think now's the right time. I suspect that you are exhausted after all this."

Lyndheid  
She nods, ignoring the tone of his voice and words of command that would, had she not been so tired, caused her to object. She was too tired to fight.

"Exhaustion? That is an understatement. They had me walking for two days with little sustenance." 

She smiles when she sees the warg. "I am glad he is alright. The otter cubs, the goats, where are they?" 

She leans into him for support as they walk towards the ponies.

Kili  
"Don't worry about them. Loni and Andvari will sort that out. There is food with the ponies, and we've brought medical supplies if you need them."  
Ignoring the pain of his wound, he shows her the way to where they left the ponies and a soft whinny greeted them in the dark. There was a small stream which they had passed on the way and he thought that would make a good place to set up camp. Once they were there, he took out his bed roll from his pony and laid it on a dry, flat piece of ground. 

"Lie down," he bid her and set about making a small fire to heat up some tea and he took out some dried meat to give her.

Lyndheid  
She sits down wearily on the bed roll and watches him as he works, with the dogs milling around her. They seemed happier now. Laddie trotted over to her and laid his head in her lap. 

"Thank you, Kili. You must let me see to that wound."

Kili  
He shakes his head. 

"There's no need. I'll ask Loni to take a look. He's used to treating wounds in the guard. You just drink your tea when it is ready and rest, my dear. And eat. You need it."

Lyndheid  
She frowns at him. "Let me have a look at it. You're bleeding badly." She rips some material off her dress and balls it up into a pad to press against the wound. "Hold it there. That should stop the bleeding until Loni and Andvari get here."

Kili  
He nods, taken aback by her assertiveness, and not wanting to argue with her, does as she said. It was only when he inspected the wound himself that he saw she was right.

"At least let me boil the tea for you. And eat that!"

He indicated the meat, being a bit shorter with her than he intended to be. It was an accumulation of worry about her and the pain from the wound.

Lyndheid  
Sighing, she nods.

"Alright. But don't over do things. I'm just pregnant, not wounded."

She takes a bite out of the meat and it is only then that she realises just how hungry she is.

"Is there any more?"

Kili  
"Aye, there is. It's in the saddle bag. But we shall have to do some hunting on the way back. You need to rest for a while." 

As spoke, the sound of several beings moving towards them could be heard, and in a short while, Loni, leading one of the goats materialized out of the darkness, with Andvari leading the other close behind. He was also carrying the box of otters. Loni, when he had walked up to her, lays her axe on the ground at her side. 

"Your weapon, my lady."

Lyndheid  
She looks up at the guard from her sitting position, and offers him a small smile.

"Thank you, but you need to see to Kili. He was wounded in the battle." Frowning, she continued. "And he won't let me have a look at it because he thinks I'm not up to it, that I'm too tired."

She glances across at Andvari, and nods gratefully to him. "It is good to see you."

Kili  
"I am only thinking of what is best for you, Lynd. You need your rest." He takes off his coat and shirt so that the guard could inspect and treat the wound.

Lyndheid  
She frowns at him, darkly. "Don't ye think that ah could say t' same about thi? Especially wi' that wound!"

Kili  
He was on the verge of snapping at her, but he remembered what his mother said about being gentle with her and he was afraid that if his words were to harsh for her that she would just run away again, so he held back his retort. He remains silent as Loni tends to his wound, and by then, the water had boiled for the tea. He passes it to her, and sighs.

"I don't think either of us are in a good frame of mind to talk right now. We'll discuss things in the morning. I'm not angry with you Lynd, just concerned." 

He nods his thanks to the guard. 

Andvari takes a seat on the ground on the other side of the camp fire, and smiles reassuringly. "We've all been worried about you, lass. Don't take it to heart."

Lyndheid  
She takes the tea and drinks it in small sips, and weariness over comes her as she does so. "I'm going to sleep soon. It has not been a good couple of days for me." She settles down into the bed roll and drifts off.

Kili  
Andvari offered to watch over the camp and after a few minutes of watching his lady sleep, Kili lies down next to her and holds her as he drifts off to sleep himself. He was just glad that she was safe again and he could relax and let go of the worry that had been gnawing at him. His last thought, before he drifted off to sleep, was of the hair beads in his saddle bag, but he was too tired to come up with the best way of presenting them to her.

Lyndheid  
Sensing that he is near her, she snuggles up to him in her sleep, feeling content that he is there. Exhausted, she continues to sleep on, even after the birds have performed their dawn chorus and Arien is visible in the sky, spreading light and warmth.


	7. Chapter 7

Kili  
Sleeping lighter than Lyndheid, because of the wound making it difficult for him to sleep, he wakes up when light returns to the land, and when the birds sing their greeting to Lady Sun. Andvari is already cooking breakfast over the camp fire. He notices the collies are asleep curled up beside his One and he smiles. Once he has gained his alertness, he spies the thrush hopping around looking for an early breakfast. He felt a bit guilty now, doubting the bird's willingness to help.

Andvari smiles at him when he sees that he is awake. "It's a fine morning, my lord, and the tea is ready," the blacksmith said, holding out a cup to him. "When are you planning on setting out? We need to get to the caravan before someone else finds it."

He glanced at his sleeping lady. " Let her sleep. She is exhausted, and I am not feeling wholly myself today. You and Loni could fetch the caravan and bring it back here once he is awake and you both have broken your fast. Lynd and I will stay here and await your return."

He was thinking that he would have a chance to have that talk with her and he thought of the beads in his pony's saddle bag.

Andvari nodded his agreement. "We will do that."

Lyndheid  
She wakes up slowly, reluctant to leave the bed roll. It is only when she realises that Kili is no longer laid beside her that she must get up. She sits up and rubs the sleep from her eyes, and looks around. Seeing him by the camp fire, she yawns, stretches and gets to her feet and tiredly walks over to him. "I smell breakfast."

Kili  
He turns his head at her voice and gives her a broad, puppy-dog grin.

"Morning, my love, but it is almost after-noon. You've been asleep for a long while. Loni and Andvari have gone to fetch the caravan, so it's just us, the dogs, your otters, and my pony. Your warg's off in the woods, hunting elk, I presume."

He pours her a bowl of stewed meat and vegetables. "I've fed the animals, so you can relax and rest."

Lyndheid  
She nods, and sits down on the ground next to him, rather awkwardly because of the swell of her pregnant body. Everywhere ached more than usual and she takes the stew from him and gladly begins to eat. She was ravenous, and she was concerned about her baby. He seemed to be sleeping for the moment, at least, that is what she hoped. When she had finished half of the bowl, she put her spoon down and regarded him thoughtfully.

"I suppose now you want to have the talk you mentioned, now that we are alone." She was a little nervous, and she had to wipe away tears which had formed at the corner of her eyes.

"You, you must understand that I didn't leave Erebor because I doubted you, that I doubted us. It was a hard thing I had to do." She sniffed. "I eh... I just don't feel like Erebor is a place I want to bring up our child. I don't want to expose him or her to what happened to Smauglet, either directly to the same violence put on them, or the way of thinking which leads to such violence. I want our child safe."

Kili  
He listens to her worries, his face set in a grim expression. He wasn't angry, not at her, for he could see that she was frightened and only wanted the best for their child, and he thought about how those same dwarves would treat Khajima if they knew of him, but he was disappointed. Disappointed that she didn't seem to be able to trust him to protect her and their child from harm, and he reached across to place his hands on her shoulders. 

"Lynd, you - you cannot think that you must do all of this yourself. I know that you are used to doing things your own way." It did hurt him deeply that she hadn't come to him, but he wasn't going to dwell on that, or bring it up, as it would push her further away if he did. "Do you not think that I would do everything that I could to protect you, and our child, and that my uncle would do the same? Erebor is the safest place you can be and there is Loni and Andvari who would protect you as well. None of us will let anything happen to you, and this I swear." He took her face in his hands and placed a gentle kiss on her lips, to affirm his promise.

Lyndheid  
She drapes her arms over his shoulders and returns the kiss. "I just didn't feel safe there, especially with what to your great grandmother. Being pregnant didn't seem to protect her from getting hurt, but made her a target. I wanted to be somewhere where the only company I had was myself and my animals. Then I would have felt safe and that nothing would harm our child."

Kili  
He smiled, gently. "Aye, and what would ye do when it is time for the little one to be born? You wouldn't manage that by yourself. Without help, one or both could die. Come home with me. Even if I were to go with you, I don't think you should be traveling all that way to the Old Forest as you are." He entwined her fingers in his.

Lyndheid  
"I - I was hoping that I'd find someone. I have met Tom Bombadil and Goldberry. I thought that they would help me. But thinking about it, you are right. I've no idea how long it will take for me to get there. And that caravan, it draws too much attention. I am not ready to go anywhere yet. I am too tired for it."

Kili  
He nods, and squeezes her hands tightly. "I would like to move us away from that camp. I don't like it being so near and we don't know if they have friends, but we can find somewhere to stay for a few days while you rest. I need it too." He lets go of her hands, and wincing, gets to his feet and walks over to the saddle bag he used on his mount. He opened it up and pulled out a small, mithril knotwork box which he had smithed in the forges while he was practicing the art. He walks back, sits down, grimacing a little at the pain from his wound and smiling, hands the box over to her. "Open it."

Lyndheid  
She takes the box in her hands and marvels at its beauty. She loved the intricate knotwork and the polished amethyst set into it. Her eyes flicked upward, to his face. "Did you make the box? It's beautiful."

Kili  
"Aye, I made it, with the help of your aunt, and sister. Those ladies know a lot about making pretty things, though your aunt was concerned with the smelting process. But it's what's inside it that's important. Now, open it." He smiles gently.

Lyndheid  
She pushes away thought of talking about her aunt and sister, and opens the box. "Oh, Kili..." A smile spread across her face as she beheld what was inside.

Kili  
He grinned at her as she looked at the hair beads. "Do you like them? I know that it has taken me a long give them to you - much longer than it should have done, actually." He looks away momentarily, as shyness over came him, but he pushed that away. "I want you to be my wife, that is, if you'll have me."

Lyndheid  
She gazes in wonder at the tiny hair beads as he speaks and when he is done, she looks at him, and a big smile spreads across her face. "I thought... I thought that I was going to have to ask you." She closes the lid of the box so that the beads don't fall out of it and get lost. She flings her arms around him, hugs him tightly and kisses him."

Kili  
When the kiss is over, he takes a lock of her hair and twists it around his finger. "I take that as a yes?" He asked her quietly. He takes hold of her hand and lifts it, brushing his lips over it.

Lyndheid  
She nods, and whispers her reply. "Yes. But can we do the hair braiding when we are home? I am all dirty here."

Kili  
[He nods. "We can have a small celebration just for us when we get back. I must admit, this is not how I planned on asking you. I had planned on something a little more romantic and less dramatic."

Lyndheid  
"Things rarely go as we plan them to. But something puzzles me. There was a thrush following me, and I thought that it was a friend of Beorn's or Radagast's, but it was not, as neither came to help me."

Kili 

"That little thrush? I sent her. I offered her some berries, seeds and nuts in exchange for finding you. I didn't send Kari because I knew you'd be on the look out for a raven. I'm sorry for the deception, but I was concerned."

Lyndheid

She nods and tucks the box away in a woolen bag she had that hung from her belt. "She was good company, at any rate." She smiles brightly at her One. "When we get back to Erebor, we have a wedding to plan."

Kili  
"Aye." He placed an affection hand on her stomach. "We've sort of done this backwards, haven't we? Do want the ceremony to be before the babe is born, or after?"

Lyndheid  
A small smile crosses her lips. "If you'd asked me this in the first half of my pregnancy, I would have said before, but it is too advanced now. I think after will be better, when I've recovered from the strain. Having it before the baby I run the risk of going into labour during the ceremony! And I'd look a sight, too. After will be better."

Kili  
He nods. "After it is, then. Besides, as you say, time is pressing on. We need to get the clothes, blankets and any other items we need for the young one together, and the room."

Lyndheid  
"That is true. We have the cot ready, for you made that and it is beautiful. My parents had a simple one for us. Lofnheid and your mother have been helping with the clothes and blankets. There are many baby clothes which Lofnheid had for Nali which are far too small now, but I think this is a discussion we should have when we get back home."

Kili  
He nods in agreement. "Aye. There is still so much to do. While he is little, he should sleep with us, so that it'll be easier for you to feed him in the night. We need to keep him close. I am concerned just as much as you are about the behaviour of those guards. I will be investigating them and if any of those around my household were involved, they will be replaced. Loni, Loni has been such a good help to me, I am going to put him in charge of security when we get back. There is no need for you to worry."

Lyndheid  
"I would be happy knowing that Loni is in charge of security. He is family, and I think that makes a difference. I didn't recognise any of them who harmed Smauglet, but I also don't know all of the guards by sight or name. Perhaps I should change that. I need to feel safe and know that I have people around me I trust if you or Loni aren't there. And although I do not think of myself this way, the guards will need to know their new princess, even if I much prefer to be a hermit my garden, or lock myself away in my book-less library."

Kili  
He reached across and twined a lock of her hair around his fingers, and gives her a small smile. "You should do that, but don't worry about that book-less library. We will get it filled." The sound of hoof-beats reached his ears and he got to his feet and scanned the horizon to the north.

Lyndheid  
She started at the sound, and wearily got to her feet. "Is it trouble do you think?" She couldn't stand the thought of having to deal with yet more brigands. One lot of them was enough.

Kili  
He shakes his head.  
"It's alright. It's just Loni, riding ahead with the ponies. Andvari is bringing your caravan. We can get out of here once they've rested, if you are up to it."

Lyndheid  
She was anxious to get out of the area as well. "I am up to it, Kili." Though she had enjoyed her time with alone with her One, she felt vulnerable being pregnant out here, especially with him being injured. She clutched his hand and watched the guard and blacksmith get closer to them.

Kili  
He squeezed her hand and waved at their companions, calling out a greeting. "Hail, my friends." Loni encourages the ponies to increase their speed, and is the first of the two brothers to reach them. He slides down from his mount, and returns the greeting.

"Is all well, Loni?" He asked the guard. "Have you sighted any trouble on the road?"

The guard shook his head. "It all appears to be clear, my Lord, but I don't recommend dallying here. We don't know for certain if they had friends," the guard turned to Lyndheid. "I trust that you are well, lass." Kili reddened a bit at the title, but he didn't comment on it.

Lyndheid  
She noticed her One's discomfiture, but didn't comment on it for now. "I am well, thank you, but I still feel the weariness in my bones, like an old dwarrowdam. However, I am up to leaving this place just as soon as Andvari gets here." She watches the caravan as it approaches, hoping that the hidden contents were still intact. As she stood there with her husband to be at her side and the guard in front of her, she realised how foolish she had been, and how the outcome could have been much different. She mumbles to herself... "Just because you've faced Melkor and Balrogs doesn't mean that the more mundane dangers aren't as deadly."

Kili  
It takes Andvari longer to reach them because of the burden of the caravan. The blacksmith greets them warmly and jumps down when he draws up to them. "Them goats are stubborn. I don't know how ye managed to get this far, lass," he beams at them before turning to Kili. "If ye are up for a hunt, I spotted a herd of wisent to the plains east of here."

Kili shook his head. "Another time, perhaps. My wound is too raw and I'm anxious to leave. We'll have to make do with cram for now."  
Andvari nods, and the brothers take a short break to eat and drink while Kili made to pack up their camp, motioning for Lynd to help him.

Lyndheid  
She helps him to gather up their belongings while their companions ate, despite the fact that she is very tired. She inspects the caravan's interior and there is some damage, but it is repairable. She goes to the secret compartment and opens it, breathing a sigh of relief when she sees that the items of jewellery are in there. She puts the new box in with them, and closes it.

Kili  
As he stows the bedrolls away, he notices her actions and he stands beside her, curiously. "What have you got there, Lynd?"

Lyndheid  
She smiles at him, shyly. "It is where I put the jewellery you made me. I did miss you when I left, and I would gaze at them when I was resting. Doing so made you seem closer somehow. It was lonely on the road."

Kili  
He wraps his arms around her and hugs her tightly, ignoring the pain which shot through him from his wound. "But you aren't alone now, are you, my dear?" He runs his hands over her bump and feels the baby as it kicks. He begins to sing a song in Khuzdul which he remembered his mother singing to him when he was a young dwarfling.

Lyndheid  
A smile plays on her lips at his song. So beautiful. "Do you think the little one can hear you?"

Kili  
He kisses the back of her neck. "Amad seems to think they can, so I shall sing to them." There was a knock on the door and he reluctantly let her go and peered out. 

"We are ready to go, my lord," Loni said, "That is, if you and the lady are."

Kili turned to Lyndheid. "Are you ready to go? I can travel on the caravan with you, if you'd like."

Lyndheid  
She nods and smiles at Kili and the guard. "I am ready." She walks over to the door and calls for the dogs to join her. The sheepdogs rush over and leap up into the caravan. She smiled at Loni. "Could you hand me the otter cubs? I can look after them as we travel."

Kili  
Andvari heard her comment and passed up the box containing the otter cubs to her. The guard and the blacksmith cleaned up their camp site, making sure that the fire was out and they were off.

Lyndheid  
She sat down beside Kili, watching the back of the goats' heads. The otter cubs seemed to be more lively now, but she was still worried about them. The dogs laid down behind her, and Laddie laid his head on her lap. After feeding the otters and ensuring that they were alright, she leaned into Kili and slowly drifted off to sleep because of the gentle motion of the caravan and the fact that she felt safe enough to do so.

Kili   
They traveled on until well into the evening and stopped beside a spring. He considered whether they should make a stop at Dale because Lynd could then have a rest in a proper bed or if they should by pass it. In the end, he decided that getting home as soon as they could was better. Although she seemed fine, he thought that she should have a healer check her over and he wasn't certain about the medicine of men practiced on dwarves, especially a pregnant dwarrowdam. He left Lynd to her slumber. He sent Loni off to look for fire wood for their camp while he helped Andvari see to the ponies and the goats. He discovered that they had picked up a passenger on the caravan's roof - the thrush was roosting there, and he smiled. When Loni returned, he started making a stew from the dried meat and vegetables which they had, but they were running low, especially now they had the dogs to feed to. He would have to consider hunting in the morning.

Lyndheid   
She awoke, just as the day was turning to dusk, and the sun had almost disappeared from the sky. She felt ravenous and getting down carefully from the caravan, she walked over to the camp fire and ate some of the stew. It wasn't brilliant fare, but it got rid of her hunger.

Kili   
Kili smiled when he saw that she was up. He had his fill while she was sleeping. "We shall have to do some hunting tomorrow. Would you be fine staying here with Andvari while Loni and I go out to see what we can get? Perhaps those wisent are still around."

Lyndheid   
"I have no problem with that, but how is your wound? Perhaps Andvari should go instead of you."

Kili   
"I shall be fine, Lynd. It does still bother me, but I have my bow, which will make hunting easier and just one of those beasts would see us back home. We can camp here for a few days while you get the rest you need. But that is for the morning. I brought my flute. Do any of you care for some entertainment this evening?"

Lyndheid  
She grins at him warmly in the gathering darkness. "I always love to hear you play."

Kili   
He puts the flute to his lips and begins to play a slow, haunting melody which he had found written in a battered, charred song book which he had been transcribing to preserve its contents. It was dated from Dain I's time. The notes sounded clear and bright in the night.

Lyndheid   
She sipped her evening tea as she listened, and there was a quality in it which filled her with hope and sadness at the same time. She watched the flames of the camp fire, and kept silent until the song's end.

Kili   
Once he had finished the song, he glanced across at her. "I'm sorry. I was intending to play something a little more cheerful, but that came out instead."

Lyndheid   
"There's no need for you to appolgise. It was beautiful and that is all that matters, and I am not really in the mood to dance to something jaunty. And I think the little one liked it."

Kili   
It is lucky that anyone hears it these days. I found it in a book which had been damaged by fire. It had several songs and verses in it, actually and I've been transcribing it to save what is left of it. It wasn't easy to do." He put the flute away. "Speaking of books, my mother gave me a book of stories for the baby." He nods to Andvari. "A book which we can read to our young one and Nali. I've glanced through it, and I remember my mother telling me and Fili some of the stories, full of animals."

Lyndheid   
"I'd like to hear them myself, I think, but we also have our own stories of animals, my fox cubs for instance, though I shall keep out the part of how their mother died. That would give them nightmares!"

Kili   
"Aye, that part is gruesome, especially the state she was in when you found her. But you have many happy stories with them, even when you returned them to the wild."

Lyndheid  
"I think they would like that story." She gets to her feet and stretches. "I am still tired. I think we should go to bed, if you don't mind. Although I had rest, it wasn't of good quality."

Kili   
He yawns. "I am tired myself. Will you be wanting to sleep in the caravan? It is more comfortable than sleeping on the ground."

Lyndheid  
She wishes Andvari and Loni a good night and hugs Kili. "The caravan it is." She takes hold of his hand and walks towards it.

Kili   
He happily allows her to lead him, knowing that the guard and the blacksmith will watch over the camp.


	8. Chapter 8

Lyndheid  
It had been about a week since Kili had rescued her from the brigands and after a period of rest, and slow-paced traveling, they arrived in the shadow of Erebor just as darkness was creeping over the land.

Kili  
Hugging her shoulders as they rode on the caravan pulled by goats, he leans in her ear to ask a question. "Would you like to like to spend the night outside the mountain, or would you like to press on. I know that you are tired."

Lyndheid  
"Press on. It is late, but I am anxious to be home, and to wash the filth off the road." She entwines his fingers with hers and squeezes his hand. "Let's go."

Kili  
"Shall we go to the main gates, or go to your garden and go straight to our halls?"

Lyndheid  
"Straight to our halls, love. I'm too tired to face a lot of greetings and welcomes, and it's putting me in a grumpy mood for me to bother with it, unless I know them well. Greetings can come in the morn after rest!"

Kili  
Andvari, who had over heard their conversation, voices his agreement. "That is a wise move, lass. You two don't have to worry about the goats and ponies. Loni and I shall see to them." Kili smiles at the blacksmith riding along side them.

"Thank you, Andvari. That is appreciated by both of us." He urges the goats onwards, and soon they are in the shadows of the dry stone wall. He indicates for the goats to stop and he leaps down from the caravan, holding out his hands for Lyndheid to climb down.  
"We're home, lass." He gives her a gentle smile.

Lyndheid  
She allows him to help her down `and hugs him once her feet are planted firmly on the ground. She places a kiss on his lips and calls for the dogs. Laddie and Mist jump out of the caravan and mill around their feet, tails lashing excitedly. 

"We are and I am glad. Could you bring out the otters?"

Kili  
He nods and goes back into the caravan to fetch the creatures. He brings them out and passes them to her. He opens the gate and walks up the stone path which Lynd had laid when she was building the wall. He didn't say anything, but she was a natural at working with stone, even if she didn't craft jewellery regularly like other dwarves. He opens the door for her and his greeted by a bundle of black and white fur.

"Fundin!" The sheepdog is almost fully grown now and he leaps up as his adad in excitement. He manages to calm the dog down and bellows for Lofar. "LOFAR!"

Lyndheid  
With the dogs at her heels, she follows Kili into the garden and smiles at Fundin. "Hello, boy!" She laughs when the sheepdogs go wild greeting each other, running around the garden, yapping. She scowls a little when she notices they have knocked over some of her herb pots.

Kili  
Lofar, who was getting ready for bed at that time of day, heard his call and shuffled towards the door. He was polite, but it was clear that he felt put out. "Master Kili, you've returned! Is there something I can do for you?" Kili nods.

!Apologies if this puts you out, Lofar, but we've only just returned. Could see if Beyla is still up so we can have something to eat, and run a bath for us so that we can freshen up. Er... inform Beyla that we will be in my study." 

The servant scowls at Lyndeid, "Of course, my lord, lady." He shuffles off, with the air of a grumpy badger about him. Kili takes hold of her arm and leads her to the study.

Lyndheid  
She shakes her head as she lets him lead her. "I swear that dwarrow doesn't like me."

Kili  
"It's just his way, Lynd. Don't worry about it. He's always been grumpy. He doesn't like Beyla's boys being around the place, because he says they cause a mess. Don't take it to heart." When they've got to the study, he pulls out a chair for her and takes the otters from her.

Lyndheid 

She sits down in the chair, glad that she finally has the weight off her feet, and giggles. "He'll have to get used to dwarflings around the place making messes because when our young one is here, that will happen all the time!"

Kili

"Aye. He will at that!" There was a knock at the door a while later and he goes to answer it, to see that Beyla is stood there. The dwarrowdam beams at him. "I am so happy that you are back, and the lady is with you. What can I do for you?" 

Could you fix us some food, Beyla? It doesn't have to be anything fancy. Ham sandwiches will do, and a couple of bones for the dogs."  
Beyla nods and scoots off to carry out the request. While she is gone, starts to massage Lynd's shoulders, thinking on certain matters.

Lyndheid  
She closes her eyes, enjoying the sensation of him massaging her shoulders, and it even takes away the distraction the hunger creeping into her stomach. She feels the baby kick, and sighs.

"Kili, I think I need more than just a ham sandwich. I have a craving for apples and grapes, with chocolate. Do you think you could see if there is any in the kitchens?"

Kili

"Apples and grapes? I can see if there are some. There should be chocolate, if Beyla's lads haven't got their hands on it. I'll be back shortly."  
He leaves her in the study and walks the corridors, which are quiet at this time of night, with most dwarves in their beds at his hour. He wonders if he should visit his mother, to let her know that they are back, but he thought she would be sleeping at this hour of the day. Perhaps the morning would be better. He and Lynd could surprise her at breakfast. He passes a couple of guards and that reminds him of the promise he made to Lynd about interviewing them over the Smauglet. Yep - he had a lot of work ahead of him. The kitchens were quiet at this hour, and no one was in there except for Beyla preparing the ham sandwiches. She looks up from the table when he enters. "Is there a problem, my lord?"  
"No, Lynd would like some apples, grapes and chocolate as well as the sandwich." The dwarrowdam points him in the direction of where the foodstuffs are kept, but informs him that there is no chocolate, only coca, so he makes her a hot coca drink instead. Together, they take the food back to the study.

"I'm sorry, Lynd. There wasn't any chocolate left. I shall make a note to inform Lofar to order some in the morning." He places the coca and the fruit down on the desk, and thanks Beyla as she deposits the sandwiches and leaves.

Lyndheid  
"Well, it doesn't matter. I have the coca. I've been eating too much of it, anyway!" She ignores the sandwich and goes straight to the apples and grapes. "Thank you for getting them for me."

Kili 

He reaches for his ham sandwich before answering, because he was starving. "You don't have to thank me, Lynd, I was glad to get them for you." He reaches down and pats Fundin on the head, who was looking at the sandwich hopefully. "I bet Amad's already fed you, boy, but nice try. I don't know about you, Lynd, but I shall be happy when I've changed out of these dirty clothes."

Lyndheid  
"I am not thinking about that right now." She pops a handful of grapes into her mouth, and chews them. She was just trying to make up for the missed meals on the road, and knew that she would have to go see the healer in the morning. For now, she was just happy to be home in the study with her One.

Kili  
He thought about whether he should put the hair beads in her hair after they've had a bath, but he was too tired to even think of that right now.  
"I think we should just have a bath and go straight to bed, if you're alright with that, after we've eaten. We got back much later than I thought that we would."

Lyndheid  
She nods. "I do not really mind at that, my love. I was going to suggest it."

Kili  
He remains quiet as he finishes his ham sandwich and wonders how far along Lofar has got with boiling that water for a bath. A smile crosses his face. "You know, Lynd, we could take a bath together." He smirks at her.

Lyndheid  
"I'd like that." She had missed the time they had spent alone together and even though she had hardly left his side since he'd rescued her, she'd not really been able to appreciate his company entirely because of the presence of Loni and Andvari. Some, but not all of the weariness left her as images of them together in the bath ran through her mind.

Kili  
The sandwich finished, he gets out of his chair. "I'm just going to see how Lofar's is getting on with it. I'll be right back." He goes to the bathroom and finds that Lofar is busy hauling buckets of hot water back and forth. The bath is almost full. He checks the soaps and shampoos and makes sure that there are plenty of towels. Rather than asking Lofar to do it, he goes to his own bedroom for clean night clothes and his dressing gown and to Lynd's room to fetch hers. Although dwarves like Lofar were an help, he did find their presence intrusive at times, and sometimes longed for it to be just him and Lynd.

Lyndheid  
She finishes the fruit and still hungry, starts on the ham sandwich while he is gone. She giggles as she imagines what the reactions of some of the more stuffy dwarves would be if they saw them taking a bath together. But she concludes, none of it really has anything to do with them, does it? After a while, she begins to wonder where Kili had got to and went to look for him, finding him just as he was coming out of her room carrying the night clothes and dressing gowns.

Kili  
Lofar had finished his task and glared at the dwarrowdam when he passed them. "It is ready, my lord." He shuffles off, muttering grumpily to himself. Kili takes hold of her hand.

"This way, my lady." He leads her to the bathroom.

Lyndheid  
Stiffling her laughter, she shuts and bolts the door behind them so that no one can walk in on them, and slips out of her woolen dress, letting it fall into a pool of cloth around her feet, kicking it away and walks over to the bath, and tests it's temperature. "It's not too hot." She becomes very much aware of her potential clumsiness due to the bulge of her stomach.  
"Can you help me into the tub, Kili?"

Kili  
He drapes the night clothes over a chair and gazes at her, a lump forming in his throat when she disrobes. She is beautiful, more now than she was at their first meeting. He stammers when she asks her question and steadies her so she can get into the bath without the fear of slipping and tripping.

Lyndheid  
She kisses him to say thank you before she carefully climbs into the bath and sits down. "Kili, I would very much like you to wash my hair, and I can do yours." She smiles up at him.

Kili  
"I shall do more than that!" He strips, leaving his clothes in an untidy mess on the bathroom floor and climbs into the bath with her at the opposite end, so he was facing her. He flashes her his best puppy dog smile, takes a sponge and soap and lathers it up.

Lyndheid  
"What do you have in mind, Kili?" She grins at him, mischievously.

Kili   
You'll see. [He smirks, and now having got enough soap onto the sponge, he began to wash the grime off her, covering every inch that he could reach. He started with her shoulders and worked down to her feet. Once he has done that, he washes her back, having got out of the bath to do so. And it's only after that he washes her hair, carrying out her original request.

Lyndheid   
She closes her eyes as the warm water washes through her hair and cascades down her shoulders. It felt wonderful to get rid of all the grime and dust from the road, especially as her One helped her with the task. She almost felt like a normal dwarrowdam again and her thoughts turned to those hair beads. "I feel so much better now. Thank you, Kili." She smiles up at him. "Now, I must return the favour."

Kili  
He leans down and kisses her on the lips, before climbing back into the bath. He gives her a flirty smile. "And a pleasure it will be, for us both."

Lyndheid   
She smiles back at him shyly and begins to wash the trail dirt off his body. She worked slowly, enjoying his closeness and making sure that she got everything. When she finished with washing his body, she gets out of the bath, a little nervous because she felt huge and clumsy carrying the baby around inside her. She finished by washing his hair and as she does so, she imagines braiding it, confirming and strengthening the bond of love that they had for each other. Afterwards, she walks over to the chair and puts on her sleeping clothes and dressing gown.

Kili   
He watches her raise out of the bath and cross over to the chair, a small smile on his face. He gets up out of the bath and dries himself the best he can with a towel before dressing. He offers her his arm, and yawns tiredly. The warm water had combined with his weariness from travel to make him sleepy.

"Shall we go to bed, my lady?" He inquired, that puppy dog expression of his on his face.

Lyndheid

"Bed it is, love. I am exhausted." She leans into him, seeking comfort in his closeness.


End file.
